Team SLVR and DARC Trailer's
by Solomon07
Summary: Frankly, these are just trailers, but what the heck! instead of just one, there are two. In the world of Remnant where the Heroes we all know and love are born...as well as Villain's, two teams unnoticed by others will get their chance for spotlight.njust not in the way you'd expect...but people want originally these days anyway, so HELLO Team's SLVR and DARC!
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N: Okay everyone! Just for the little heads up, for those who know me, sorry about vanishing for so long. Kinda went through a phase, but for the moment, I'm back. And I'm fulfilling a request!_**

 ** _As the name suggests, these will be trailers, and most of the characters will not be mine. Just doing most for a friend...and because I want to see how my writing is since I haven't done such for so long. To see if I'm still up to snuff.  
_**

 ** _Tee~Hee!_**

* * *

 _ **A curious cherry blossom innocent and adventurous**_

 _A jaded grey wanting what was long since lost_

 _A darkening green itching to spread his wings_

 _A blackened king seeking freedom so desired_

* * *

 _~Scene 1: Cat Nap~_

 _Age: 7_

Stuck in a tree, cat ears twitching, a small girl slept, a shiny glint gleaming between her fingers.

Lying on the branch, she slept. A pleased expression stretching along her lips, as if she had caught the canary within her dreams. Dreams of Tuna and Conquest, a crown on her head, and oblivious to the cries below.

Taking a little cat nap, that she was. After catching a shiny up in the tree's, finding a nice spot on the branch, where she could take a really good nap.

Basking under the gentle rays of the sun, screened by the leaves above, she had stretched her back, closed her eyes, and laid down for a nap. A Cat Nap indeed.

And as she dreamed above, a boy shouted below. Trying to wake a friend, that just wouldn't wake up.

Surrounded by trees and swamps, he couldn't know what to do. He was lost, and didn't know what to do, as he was lead around by the girl napping above.

Where all kinds of dangers lurked, be it in the dense thick leaves, or below in the murky mysterious swamps. He was afraid, so he simply called out. He called out her name, again and again, even as she showed no signs of awakening, from her small little cat nap, a second before ten.

And when he could call out no longer, he grew tired. Thoughts slipping, stomach rumbling, he was idly reminded of a fact. That as he fell asleep, he remembered. That to wake a cat from her nap, a rumbling stomach would do it just in a snap.

And awaken she did, from her little nap. Stomach rumbling, and eyes gleaming with shiny in hand.

Looking down, she eyed the sleeping boy with a innocent blink, before her stomach growled again, and a gasp could be hear.

Leaping down from the branch above, she grasped the ground, and ran on home. Pulling her friend who slept like a log, she idly wondered parting some SWEETS, for the friend who stayed by her for oh so long.

...Nah! NO ONE TOUCHES HER CANDY! SO DECREED THE QUEEN!

* * *

 _~Scene 2: Pink Cat and Mouse~_

 _Age: 9_

Eyes moving from side to side, tied down by rope with cheeks filled with sweets. The small girl, just a bit older, planning world domination, was tied to a chair from her recent debacle.

...which just so happened to be nearly clawing the eyes out of the heathen bullying her friend. Momma stopped her just in time, but the fools dared to stand against her so they'll get their punishment in time!

Think they can run, hide from her sight? Well think again, oh frightened little mice. For the kitty will find you, and greet with a smile. A rather catty smile, with sharpened and deadly claws.

Run little mice, run. Run as far as you can. For when the cat comes to chase, they'll need all the time to pray. Because really, the kitty'll come to play!

Pop!

A marshmallow bounced off her head, interrupting her innocent plans of genocide. And snapping her head forward, the treat had been swallowed.

A pleasing grin stretching along her lips, a pleasurable taste of the sweets oh desired. But then a glare brought her back, lips curling nervously as her momma eyed her from ahead.

With slit like golden eyes, she stared. Brows raised in knowing judgment, unamused, and unquestioning. Knitting needles in hand, sharpened and poised, with pink thread on her lap, enchanted and tempting, as it twitched back and forth.

After seconds ticked into minutes, her momma returned back to knitting, and the little girl breathed a sigh in relief. Papa may be strong, but Momma is the boss.

Reason why she hadn't tried to escape yet, considering it'd be futile in the end.

But as the minutes turned into an hour, the little girl had fallen asleep. No longer tied to the chair, but hugging something fluffy in her sleep.

Warm and fluffy, that's what it was. With her momma sitting by her side, stroking her hair. "Such a strong-willed child I have. So filled with innocence and curiosity." She eyed the scarf in her arms, pink and long, to the emblem at the end, with a smile small yet strong. "Even faced with those twice her size, she's more stubborn than her father."

Patting her head, fingers brushing against the little girls ears, Momma nodded, before giving her a good night kiss. "You were brave to protect your friend like that." And with that, she walked out of the room, clicking the door shut.

And thus, the little girl dreamed.

Run little mice, run little mice, run all you can. The kitty's gonna come, with her claws as sharp as ever, and stomach just waiting to be filled. Run little mice, run little mice, run all you can. Cause the kitty's ready to play. To devour each and every mouse, who dared to steal eat her snack.

Run little mice, run little mice, run as far as you can. Cause the kitty'll catch you, with an empty stomach wanting to be filled, and a claw sharpened for every thieving little mouse, who dared to steal her candy.

* * *

 _~Scene 3: Bounty Hunter~_

 _Age: 11_

Older than before, yet not by much, the little kitten was delighted to see her papa home once more.

Papa was a Bounty Hunter, you see? He wandered all throughout Remnant, hunting for those running from the laws. Criminals that had to be brought to justice.

It was an important job, her Papa had said. That even with Huntsman being so powerful and brave, there were few in between. Always on the lookout within the borders, keeping them all safe from the Grimm.

It was a dangerous job, being a Huntsman. But there were little who could focus on the dangers that came from directions besides the Grimm. Be it the organization called the White Fang, to thieves and murderers who used that to their advantage. And even each other.

And as a Bounty Hunter, Papa's job was to catch those criminals and take them to justice.

When she asked why he does it? He told her that it's because he wanted to help ease the Huntsmen's burden, no matter how little it may have been, for keeping the safe from the likes of the Grimm. For keeping his family safe.

...the fact that he was getting paid to do it also helped.

She didn't really understand much of what he had said, but as she listened to her Papa's tales and stories of his journeys. Of the sights he's seen, and the Bounties he's collected, she couldn't help but think.

She had decided on what she wanted to be.

* * *

 _~Scene 4: Sanctum~_

 _Age: 13_

And then the little kitty, turned into a cat. A young cat none the less, as she sat along the side of her roof, arms to her side, and legs dangling freely over the edge, cheeks puffed out in displeasure.

Even staring out into the local swampy woods didn't do much to brighten her mood.

But as her nose twitched, a line of drool trailed down the corner of her lips. The scent of Smoked Salmon playing with her senses as she struggled to not turn around. Proclaiming that the queen is not one to be tempted.

Three seconds later, she was happily chewing on the heavenly delicacy, hands pressed against her cheeks.

Blinking out of her pleasurable haze, she felt a hand stroking against her head, and she pouted. Pulling at her knees close, hugging them tight. "Why doesn't Papa want to take me with him anymore?"

Besides her, Mother staring off into the swampy woods, she stared. "Where exactly do you want him to take you?" She asked.

"Wherever he goes!" The little kitten, Sakura stated with a huff. "He always took me from time to time on his Bounties, but not anymore." It wasn't fair. Papa even said she was even stronger than he was at her age!

Keeping quiet for the moment, letting her daughter stew it out, she turned to face Sakura with a disconcerting stare. A stare that kinda creeped the young kitten out a bit, with how her mother's not-blinking-cat-eyes-like-stare and all that.

After a couple moments, she blinked when her momma began to laugh. "...Mom? You're not going crazy on me now, are you?" She was bopped on the head for that.

"No I'm not, Sakura." Her mother retorted, laughter dying down to mere chuckles. "And its rude to say that to people right at their faces too." She scolded down with a look.

Blinking, ears flattening against her skull, Sakura nodded with a meep.

Nodding at that response, Kuroka smiled. "You know how your fathers been taking on quite a number of Bounties, right? Big ones at that?" Seeing her daughter nod, albeit hesitantly, she continued. "Well, there's a reason for all that. And the reason he's not taking you with him much anymore is because he wants to get something prepared as fast as he can."

Blinking, looking up in curiosity, Sakura's ears twitched. "...is it better than a castle filled with candy?" She asked, heart nearly cracking inside at spewing out such blasphemous words.

A chesire grin was her only response. "Just wait for your father to come clean, and you'll decide that for yourself as to whether it's better than a castle filled with sweets."

And so she waited.

The little kitten waited, and waited, and waited. And when the time came, she found that it wasn't better than a castle filled with sweets.

But it came oh so close. And really, if it wasn't for her Mother's suggestion, she wouldn't have gone.

She was going to Sanctum Academy.

* * *

 _~Scene 5: Recollection~_

 _Age: 15_

These past two years had been, exhausting, to say the least.

Nearly year after enrolling in Sanctum, Momma fell ill. If that was it, everything would have been fine in a couple days.

...but it wasn't.

It started slow. With some random shivers that made her tremble at times. Even when the sun was boiling, she shivered. But really, it wasn't just the sun that was seething.

Everyone thought that it was just a simple fever, and that with rest, it would. And it did, only to be replaced with growing coughs and muscle pains soon after. And with Papa being away most of the time, and Sakura's spending her's in school, they didn't really see how weak Mama had gotten when it was too late.

And while she was at school, Mama had already collapsed, and had been found by a neighborhood friend.

While she was rushed to the hospital, she just got out of school. And it wasn't until she got home, did a call arrive.

...Papa arrived home soon after. And as the days passed, she just kept getting weaker and weaker. She just kept getting paler and paler. Her cheeks thinning, and the color of her hair fading. It wasn't until she was confined to bed, did her condition stabilize.

Only at the moment, the doctors had said. Her condition had been stabilized only for the moment, and that they don't know as to whether she'll get better, or worse.

Sakura didn't want to hear that. She needed to hear it, but she didn't want to listen, nor accept the fact that she might get worse.

...so she didn't.

She didn't, and simply told herself that Momma was going to get better. That she wasn't going to get worse. That she wasn't going to take a long nap anything soon.

...That she wouldn't leave.

When she left for home that night, at her Papa's words, a thought had occurred.

That time, their house. Their home had never looked so empty as it did at that moment.

 _ **Little Kitty, Little Kitty, what will happen now?**_

 _ **Once there was three, usually there are two, but now there is only one.**_

 _ **Little Kitty, Little Kitty, what do you see?**_

 _ **In an empty house silent as it can really be?**_

 _ **When you look left, you see an empty bedroom.**_

 _ **When you look right, you see an empty kitchen**_

 _ **Look outside, all you see are woods.**_

 _ **Trees and swamps alike under the brightly shining sun.**_

 _ **Darkness and danger everywhere within the moon-filled rays.**_

 _ **Little Kitty, Little Kitty, what will you do?**_

 _ **With the three turned to two, and the two into one.**_

 _ **Little Kitty, Little Kitty, what is it you can do?**_

A poem she recalled from a personal favorite of hers, **"A Kitten in the Swamp."**

It was something her mother would read to her when she had been younger. It had a catchy tune to her, and really, she thought it was a story about her at the time.

After all, she was literally a kitten in the swamp.

Thinking on it, she grinned, ears twitching in response.

And back then, upon opening the doors to her empty home, it had been fitting.

Thankfully it's not like that anymore. As after some treatment, and rest, her mother began to recover.

And that was when she decided to drop out of Sanctum, a full year after she had enrolled in order to take care of her recovering mother.

...wasn't that big of a loss anyway. Sanctum was just taking too much of her Sweets, Nap, Sun-bathing, Reading, Sweets, Sweets, Naps, and Exploration Time. And did she forget to mention Sweets Time? Because that's the important one.

Anyway, point is, she got more relaxation time by dropping out. Because now instead of studying for tests and all that, she can now focus on everything previously mentioned, along with helping out with her mother's recovery at the same time.

And with Papa coming home a lot more often, the house has been feeling fuller than before.

Grin widening, a joyous flush on her cheeks, Sakura stretched along the roof with a enjoyable twitch of her ears.

She's gotten more training from him because of that, and even learned how to construct her own weapon. It was touch and go a couple times, and learning how to blacksmith took away too much Nap and Sweets Time, but in the end. It was worth it to see something she made fit so...rightfully in her hands.

What's more, her mother had just about recovered enough to move around the house, so showing it to her would be something of a pet project of hers.

Still a bit unused to actually using a weapon, and going along with Papa on his Bounty Hunts helped in the experience department, so it was only a matter of time until she gave her Momma and Papa the show of a lifetime. Filled with Sweets, Adventure, Acrobatics, and most importantly, the Neko Queen of Awesomeness herself!

...but for the moment, its cookie time!

* * *

 _~Scene 6: Beacon Academy~_

 _Age: 17_

To become stronger. To get better at what she wanted to do. And to taste the adventure of a lifetime that's teasing her tongue, always escaping at a moment's notice just as she was about to bite...YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE THE NEKO QUEEN!

But enough about that. She would have been fine becoming a Bounty Hunter like her Papa, but a suggestion from both of them took her thoughts to a different path.

A sugar-coated path! And honestly, the option was given to her, not that the answer was an expected one.

...or maybe it was, when you consider her answer.

 _ **I'M THE QUEEN OF THE CASTLE!**_

 _ **(Several Hundred's of Miles Away)**_

Head snapping up, a considering hue glinting in his eyes, a male teen hummed. "...There has been a disturbance in the force of that which is my Dominion." Tilting his head to the side, his grin widened into a cackling grin, scaring off all wild-life within the vicinity.

"Someone thinks they can usurp my decision at taking that castle as my own do they?" Eyes glinting madly at the challenge, he grinned. " **Well they can damn well try!"**

 _ **(Back with Sakura)**_

"CHALLENGE ACCEPTED KNAVE!" Sakura shouted off randomly into the distance, for whatever reason beyond her, gaining the eyes of everyone around her.

* * *

 _ **A/N: And that's the first of the eight trailers! Sorry for those who expected action, but really...really...what was I going to say again?**_

 _ **...Tee~Hee!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N: Hope you enjoy this next chapter!_**

* * *

 _A curious cherry blossom innocent and adventurous_

 ** _A jaded king wanting what was long since lost_**

 _A darkening green itching to spread his wings_

 _A blackened soul seeking freedom so desired_

* * *

 _~Scene 1: Tradition~_

 _Age: 5_

Walking ahead, a grinning boy laughed, right hand held by his mother, as they transverse the streets.

His home was small, is what he heard others say. But it was strong. Everyone was strong.

Size doesn't matter, is what his Papa said. It's the will, and the way.

Papa said that the village showed the way, teaching everyone what they need to know. About what they should know. But it was up to them. Up to their will for them to truly become strong.

He didn't really get it, but hearing the way his Papa sounded when he did was something. Papa was always smiling whenever him and Momma went to the...Training Grounds?

...Yep! He was always smiling when they go to that place to visit him. There's always a lot of villagers there, from around his age to Papa's. They were separate though, with adults fighting adults and the kids like him going against other kids.

And right now, his Papa was also there.

He was what they called an Instructor! And they...well...they instruct things!

...Right? Right! He was an Instructor, and he teaches the kids in the village how to fight! Something that everyone in the village knows, or is going to know.

...but, it was strange. Why did everyone have to know how to fight? Doesn't it hurt when you get hit? No one likes pain, so why?

He asked Papa about it once, and Papa said that it was something called Tradition.

He said that it was something their Ancestors created. Because of the fact that they were in something called War. And that they wanted their descendants to be prepared just in case.

...that, and something about a Chess Game. He didn't pay too much attention to that, not that he understood what most of the other stuff was about anyway.

But what he did know, was that to his Papa, tradition was important. Papa always looked more happy whenever he was in the Training Grounds teaching than when he was at home.

Something about his being a Muscle-Brained-Testosterone-Filled Gorilla, his Mama had said. Didn't understand what that was, but Mama was smiling, so it must have been something good!

Later that day, when he told Papa to welcome him home, he eyed Mama with an odd look in his eyes. It wasn't bad...it was just funny looking. But later that night, he had trouble sleeping because of Mama and Papa playing in their rooms.

There were a lot of grunts, something about God, and Mama screaming more and more for some reason.

* * *

 _~Scene 2: Expectation~_

 _Age: 8_

Little king, little king, such a small little king. With chains on his wrists, and shackles on his ankles, one can only wonder if he's a king at all.

Is what most would think, but not our very own little king.

Carrying Tradition in his arms, and Expectations on his back, struggles can be seen from the two years back.

Tradition is a set of chains that's been added onto for generations on end, beginning near the end of the Color War, if not during it. To give everyone in their small village a chance of survival against those who would do them, and their loves ones harm.

...not that it was like that in the beginning, but being as young as he is, knowing that wasn't something he'd care about. All that he really listened to was the 'Protect The Family' part. Because he found that he didn't like it if his Mama and Papa got hurt because he was too weak.

He especially didn't like it if anyone would dare hurt his Mama.

Mama was strong, but he still didn't like the thought.

So he followed tradition and trained. He trained and trained and trained and trained. Because really, that's all he could really do. To get stronger, one must train. Something his Papa always said. So train he did.

It was Tradition after all, and the thought of being weak and helpless simply fueled his desire to follow it.

...That, and the snacks he got from Mama after every training session. But those were a secret from Papa.

And speaking of Papa, following Tradition hurt...but in a way, he liked what came because of it.

Papa was an Instructor. His job was to train people. To teach them how to protect themselves, and how to fight the enemy. Both Human, Faunus, and Grimm.

That was his job...and before he turned six, that meant he had to watch as Papa spent more time with other kids than his own son.

He'd be lying if he said it didn't hurt, but now that doesn't matter.

Papa's training him now, and has been for the past two years! Whenever he does something right, Papa gets this look in his eyes sometimes.

Satisfaction, his Mama had called it. Said it was his way of showing how proud Papa was of him. As well as the fact that he held high expectations for him too.

Papa was proud of him. And expected a lot from him too.

Not because of tradition, he was told. But because he was Papa's son, and that Papa knew that he could become strong.

...those two words gave him an odd feeling. He didn't know what, but he liked it.

So really, he just continued to train. He wanted to grow stronger. Not just because he doesn't want to be helpless in a time of need, nor if there's a time when his family's in danger.

But because he wants to fulfill his Papa's expectations.

Because Papa was an Instructor. And as the Instructors Son, he needs to be strong. More than strong enough to have his Papa say out loud, that he's proud that he, Lloyd Axe, was Kratos Axe's son!

* * *

 _~Scene 3: Potential~_

 _Age:11_

Little king, little king, what do you see?

On a board black and white, is that all anything ever is within your sight?

With pieces as still as stone, and colors parallel to another, just what is going on, in the mind of the little king.

Little king, little king. Just what do you see?

He sees a chessboard of course, what else could it ever be?

What could it have ever been?

 _'A loss, that's for sure,'_ the little king pouted. But that didn't really matter, as he challenged his father again. A competitive grin stretching along his face.

Because even though he kept losing, it was a fun game to play. To help grow both the mind and the spirit, as his father always said.

...but betting chore duties also helped.

Not that it helped considering he always lost, but that just mean he had to win next time like his father said.

Besides, it provided a healthy distraction, from what had been a topic of discussion among the village adults. Something that often went back and forth.

Potential.

Or to be more exact, his.

And it started small through these past years. Compared to the others in his age group, he was always just a little bit faster. Just a bit stronger, and always more durable.

They all started training at the same time, but it was always the same. If he lost in a spar, he would win the next one. And he wouldn't lose to the same person again. With the difference in performance becoming wider and wider with every bout done.

...and it only got worse as he grew older. Sooner often than not, those in his age group could no longer prove to help him grow. And it wasn't until he started to train with the those just a bit older did things seem to go to normal.

But, that didn't mean it escaped the eyes of the village Instructors. Much less his fathers. Because the fact of the matter is that Lloyd Axe was capable of holding his own against an older age group.

And in a way, that began the discussion of his potential. About whether or not he was going to be good enough, or if it was just a temporary thing based on genetics.

After all, Kratos had been stronger than most of his peers back then, and even more so now. Strong enough to have even become a Hunter, most people had said.

...but he didn't. And when asked why, he would always reply that he didn't have that certain quality that had been required.

And that when doubts had been made.

First thought of as having the potential, but now no longer considering that if Kratos didn't have what it took to become a Hunter, what chance did his son have?

A very good chance, from what his father had been saying.

A chance to become a Hunter.

* * *

 _~Scene 4: Doubt~_

 _Age: 13_

And with that chance came doubt. Because for the past two years, his training regimen had been increasing in difficulty time and time and again. To adjust to his current capability accordingly, he was told.

And he listened to those words, because it was always his father saying them.

And father is always right...except whenever he goes against mother. Because that's when he's wrong, and as strong as he was, no one goes against mother.

...where was he?

Ah, yes. The training adjustments.

"A Warrior grows stale if not under pressure." Was something of a saying for Kratos.

And just as it implies, if not in the right condition, a warrior would not be able to grow, and instead weaken if not constantly pressured. And that it could be best applied to him, as his training is often adjusted to fit his skill level.

Because he grew faster than expected, was what he's always told. That despite the adjustments, there would always be changes made since he would grow at a rate that would make them obsolete.

The doubts that still lingered around the village had nearly vanished because of that.

Nearly, being the keyword here.

The only person who held doubts about all this was him. And no matter how much he trained. No matter how much people believed in his supposed potential, it didn't change the fact that he couldn't find it in himself to believe as well.

Call it stupid, but he sees his father as the strongest person in the village. In both body, and spirit! And everyone else knows it too...which is the root of his doubt.

Because when Kratos said that he held the quality to become a Hunter, something he did not, Lloyd couldn't find it in himself to believe it.

Stupid, right? Especially after he said that his father, Kratos, was always right.

And now, here he was. Staring at the clear night sky above, a rare cool breeze brushing against his skin. It was calming, something he'd need in preparation to next week.

"You thinking about next week." And speak of the devil.

Turning to give his father a flat stare, it fell when his old man simply chuckled. "What would I need to think about?" Lloyd asked, attention drifting back towards the sky, and away from his father.

"...is that a rhetorical question?" Kratos blinked, thumbing his chin in response. "Because if it is, I got nothing. But if it isn't, would you want me to say?" He returned with a raised brow, sitting right by his son.

"Say what?" Lloyd retorted.

"What you think?"

"That's what I want to know." Lloyd stated bluntly.

"So do I." Kratos hummed.

"So you don't know?" He blinked in surprise.

"Oh I do." Eye's twitching, he finally turned to face his dad with a flat stare.

"So you do know!" He accused.

"Nope!" His father laughed. "Haven't got a foggiest idea."

"So why'd you say you knew?!"

"Because I do." Was Kratos's simple reply.

"Then what is it!?" Lloyd twitched in irritation.

"What's is what?" He swears he could hear the smugness in his father's voice!

"My thoughts!" The boy finally gasped out the breathe he was holding. "What are my thoughts on this whole mess?!" And just as a couple moments of silence passed, the gentle night breeze tingling against his neck, Lloyd watched as his father turned to him with a serious look in his eyes. And just for a moment, he held a tiny slimmer of hope that he would get an answer to the question that had been plaguing him for these past two years!

"No clue." And Kratos promptly shattered it with a sledgehammer, burning away what remained of his sanity. "But I do know what I'm thinking." And promptly dumped the ashes into a whirlwind of confusion and annoyance.

"...and how would that help me into knowing what I'm thinking?" He finally asked, sighing.

"Because I was probably thinking the same as you are now, when I was your age." Kratos replied slowly, voice gaining just a hint of melancholy. "And I thought about it for a quite long time afterwards too."

Lloyd didn't respond immediately. And as the sound of singing crickets filled the air, he finally asked. "Were you thinking about woman?"

"Nope."

"...chess?"

"No."

"...Training?"

"Last thought on my mind."

"...Mom?"

"Oh I wish!"

After a couple more moments of thought, Lloyd finally gave up thinking. "What was it then?" He was tired, and frankly, just glared at his father to prevent another turn-about like before.

Kratos simply chuckled at it, but relented anyway. "Doubt, my boy." He answered, making Lloyd stiffen, ever so slightly. "I was thinking about belief." Patting his son's head, he nodded. "Yep."

Pulling at his knees, Lloyd looked down for a moment, before closing his eyes, and laughing. "What would you of all people have to worry about?" He asked, albeit a tad darkly. "When you were my age, you were already stronger than mostly everyone in the village, even me as I am now."

The frustration in his tone didn't escape Kratos's attention, but he simply kept silent. "You were respected, fun to have around, and had everyone's belief!" His son stated, keeping his voice level, but hard. "What would you have **anything** to doubt about?" And after a couple moments, as Lloyd tried to find the words, mouth gaping open, only to close...

He simply lied back down against the ground, fingers pulling at the grass by his sides in muted frustration.

He wanted to continue on ranting, but he couldn't find the words. He wanted to scream, but couldn't find his voice. All he wanted to do was breathe, but the gap in his chest just continued to grow. And as the seconds ticked by, he simply closed his eyes shut, and breathed out.

Watching all this, Kratos simply continued on nodding. "...you done?"

Lloyd simply glared at him with one eye open, the other simply being too tired to do the same. "No." He retorted bluntly. "...but I can't find anything else to say."

Laughing lightly in response, Kratos patted his knees with a small grin. "Then I guess it's my turn." He chuckled, before falling silent as well...for a second. "And as for your questions? Your right. I had all of those things, yet I still held doubt. Do you want to know why?"

Lloyd grunted in response, which Kratos took as a yes. Bu as a couple minutes passed, when nothing had been said, he turned to his father, and blinked. Surprised to see an odd expression on his face.

Reminiscence...if that's what it could be called.

Sitting up, he straightened himself, thoughts turning as he second ticked by in the silence. "...I think that's enough of a dramatic pause." Lloyd stated with a sigh, brows twitching as his father erupted into another fit of laughter.

...but still, it made him want to laugh too, in a sense. Odd.

And when his father's laughter slowly came to a stop, a hand ruffled his head from behind. "Have you calmed down enough now son?"

"...yeah." He nodded after a short pause. "So why **were** you doubting yourself anyway?" It was probably something much more serious that his problem. Father was never one to be low on self-esteem after all. And really, he thinks that he could accept it no matter what it was.

"Because I was afraid." Until now.

* * *

 _~Scene 5: Tragedy~_

 _Age: 15_

"Liar."

Two years...staring at the stone monument ahead, a list of names carved onto its clear-cut, grey surface. The sun shining irritably above, with the birds chirping cheeringly in the sky.

...oh how he wanted to burn them.

It was bad enough that he was forced outside, but to be brought here of all places?

Tilting his head forward, eyes wandering down the list of names, he stopped at one in particular, and scowled. "...liar." He repeated, voice cracking.

 ** _"Because I was afraid."_**

His father's words repeated themselves in the corners of his mind, constantly reminding him of that day. Of what his father had said, and what had been done.

 ** _Doubtful King, Broken King, what's on your mind?_**

 ** _Once there was two, then there was three, yet it ended back at one._**

 ** _Doubtful King, Broken King, what will you decide?_**

 ** _In a silent village where phantoms can be seen._**

 ** _Looking to the left as the flames began their roars._**

 ** _Look to the right, as the ringing of bullets pierced through the night._**

 ** _Look inside and all you'll see is space._**

 ** _Look outside and all that's left is ruins._**

 ** _Home rebuilt, lives forever lost, and memories everywhere._**

 ** _Doubtful King, Broken King, what will you do?_**

 ** _With the two turned to three, finally dropping at one._**

 ** _Doubtful King, Broken King, will you find what was lost?_**

And yet, even now, he could still hear that irritating tune ringing in his head. Courtesy of a stranger, someone around his age, who just sang it out loud for everyone to hear.

 ** _(Several Dozen Miles Above)_**

Cackling amethyst eyes blinking, a teen tilted his head to the side, dodging the black wing that tried to smack him upside the head. "I feel like someone's insulting my musical talent."

Nodding in agreement to the bloodthirsty shriek of rage, he grinned. "You're right my darling pet." The obviously insane teen cackled, humming in surprise as said pet decided to go for a corkscrew dive. "NO, MY PET!"

Tugging harshly at the snow colored reins, he regained control with a thrilling hackle as the wind brushed along his skin. "Don't worry. we shall make chicken of the fool's soon, but first..." Trailing off, he eyed the time on his scroll, and gasped, before snapping the reins.

"ONWARDS BUTTERCUP! OUR DONUTY VALLHALLA AWAIT!" And with that, the teen and his bloodthirsty Griffon rode off into the horizon, sweets on one mind, while freedom in the other.

 ** _(Back with Lloyd)_**

Staring blankly into space, Lloyd stood still, before deciding to completely wipe the stranger from his memory. He got the feeling he'd get more trouble from him that he's worth. And that's probably not saying much.

 ** _(Back With The Insane Teen)_**

 ** _"_** ** _HEY_** ** _!"_**

 ** _(Back with Lloyd)_**

Yep, too much trouble. And with that, he turned back to the monument ahead, eyes straying towards a particular name in particular with a flat gaze.

...two years, and the first word out of his mouth, was liar.

It hurt, when he tried to speak. It hurt, when he was dragged here. It hurt, when he stared at the village along the way. As he saw unfamiliar buildings in some place, and familiar ones in different spots.

Listening to the chatter, it hurt. His body ached from exhaustion, and he could scarcely believe what he himself saw when staring in a mirror.

Bones was all he saw instead of muscles. Pale skin had replaced his usual tan. And empty, tired eyes that simply stared back, questioning in silence.

"Why?" As if the reflection had asked him.

He didn't know why, so instead, here he was. Staring at the monument he couldn't believe still existed. It had been two years since it had first been built. And two years had passed since the attack on the village.

The White Fang had surprised everyone that day. There was no reason for them to have attacked his home, but yet they did. They attacked. They killed. And they took. And in the end, were repelled...but not defeated.

Chuckling bitterly at that thought, Lloyd trailed a fragile finger along the grey stone's surface. "And all through the while..." He rasped, voice sore from disuse. "...you were fighting."

Everyone had been fighting. Because that was the only thing they could have done...and it wasn't enough. The News had proclaimed their village as the victor in this bout, for fending them off despite not having Huntsmen.

They fended them off alright, but they didn't win. They lost, miserably at that, and most seemed to understand that as everyone gathered the fallen. As he gathered what remained of his father.

It was only right after all, as he was the reason Kratos had been killed. Because he was overconfident in his ability...cocky, and arrogant that he didn't know when it was time to stop until it had been too late.

If this had been chess, he would have been in checkmate...but it isn't, and his father died because of it. Because he was too weak.

"You said that fear was your reason for fighting," Lloyd had mumbled to the grave. "That death wasn't the greatest thing to be afraid of." Tracing a line under his father's name, he stared. "...if not that, then what?"

Even now, the image of his father fighting had been burned into the depths of his memory. Of how he fought...how he tore into the White Fang troops one after the other, often using them as clubs more often than not.

He was...strong. Ridiculously so that it wasn't even funny. And Aura or not, he believed that Kratos might've been able to fend off the entire attack by himself.

Might've, being the keyword.

He can hardly recall much, but the last thing he remembers that night was his father shouting at him. And then a red flash obscured his vision, turning everything black.

He woke to his father's corpse hours later, on the day he was to register as a student in Shade Academy.

...they say that becoming a Hunter mean's that one'll have to chase after the monsters in the dark. To make sure that those they leave behind never have too...but.

When the Hunter is gone hunting the monsters under the moon, who's protecting those left behind from others that live under the sun.

From criminals..from people like the White Fang.

 _'Or from Faunus in general.'_

And with that, after a moment's thought, he stood up, albeit shakily, from the tombstone. Giving it one last look, he closed his eyes, and turned away. "Liar..."

* * *

 _~Scene 6: Beacon~_

 _Age: 17_

Squinting through the sun's rays, and ears listening to the roar of the Bullheads, Lloyd fingered the trinket hanging around his neck.

A black chess piece. A King, to be precise.

Something that served as both a memento, and a reminder.

A memento of the game he and his father loved. Of the good times they had together as a family, right along with their mother.

...and a reminder. That he was the King of his own life, and that his decisions are his alone, as well as something he should be responsible for, and no one else. As for why he chose the Black King...well, he found it fitting.

His father was regarded as somewhat of a celebrity to the village. A Hero, in a sense, who protected the village with those who passed on alongside him.

So it would only be natural for him to represent the White King, even after death. Something he'd left at his grave before the trip here.

And as for why he represented the Black King...eyes drifting towards the tips of his fingers, he stared in silence as a flicker of grey trailed alongside the five digits, before vanishing moments later.

Grey Aura...Black King...as well as the enemy of the White King. Being as it was his fault the White King's death even happened...well...what could have been a better fit, then the enemy King?

But, even with two years of training, he's still not quite at the level he was before the tragedy. A fitting punishment, in a way, considering how he let himself go for two years.

Two years of harsh training does not make up for two years of inactivity, as growing weak is far easier than growing strong.

Clenching his fists tightly, eyes narrowing into slits when a antlered...individual passed by, Lloyd simply held his breath, and released. Relaxing his muscles as he simply moved on ahead.

Beacon Academy...said to be the best Hunter School in the entirety of Remnant. Let's see if you can live up to his expectations.

* * *

 _ **A/N: I'm back with another chapter! Sorry for the wait, but the Internet's been on the fritz with me, causing the delay...okay, not really for the latter as much for the former. Got a bit of the "Lazyitis".**_

 _ **...Tee~Hee!**_


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